Coal face wireless dust source tracking system for coal mine and hierarchical control method

Abstract

The invention relates to a wireless dust source tracking system of a coal face for a coal mine and a hierarchical control method, and belongs to the technical field of wireless spray dust reduction of the coal face of the coal mine. The system comprises a first-stage master controller, at least one second-stage master controller and at least one sub-controller, the primary master controller is responsible for communicating with the ground, globally monitoring the system state and scheduling and managing the secondary master controller; the secondary master controller is responsible for managing the sub-controllers, receiving the instruction from the primary master controller, and sending a control instruction to one or more sub-controllers within the management range of the secondary master controller based on the instruction; the sub-controllers are responsible for receiving control instructions from the corresponding secondary main controllers and controlling the opening or closing state of the ball valves based on the instructions. According to the invention, the problem of system paralysis caused by the fault of the main controller is effectively reduced, the hierarchical control method is more beneficial to the production management of a coal mine, and the method has an obvious effect on the development of intelligent dust fall of a coal face.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of wireless spray dust suppression technology for coal mining faces, and relates to a wireless dust source tracking system and hierarchical control method for coal mining faces. Background Technology

[0002] Dust pollution is a long-standing and serious problem in coal mining. Large amounts of dust not only threaten the health of workers, leading to occupational diseases, but also pollute the surrounding environment and can adversely affect the precision and lifespan of production equipment. To effectively suppress dust generation and diffusion, automated dust source tracking and spraying systems are typically deployed. These systems monitor and control various potential dust-generating points within the production area in real time, automatically activating the corresponding spraying devices to suppress dust upon detection.

[0003] Currently, a common solution is to use a traditional wireless dust source tracking system. This system typically consists of a wireless master controller and several wireless sub-controllers deployed at various dust-generating points. Each wireless sub-controller connects via wired or wireless means and controls the opening and closing of one or more electric ball valves, which in turn directly control the flow of water in the dust suppression spray pipes. In this architecture, the wireless master controller acts as the central control unit of the system, responsible for overall system logic judgment, data processing, and unified management and command distribution to all wireless sub-controllers. The wireless sub-controllers, acting as execution units, passively receive commands from the master controller and drive the connected electric ball valves to open or close accordingly.

[0004] However, this traditional control method, which uses a single master controller to centrally manage all sub-controllers, has many drawbacks in practical applications:

[0005] (1) Overload of the central controller: As the monitoring range expands and the number of dust-generating points increases, the number of wireless sub-controllers that need to be connected to the system also increases. All status reporting, command issuance, communication link maintenance, and control logic operations are concentrated on a single wireless controller. This results in an extremely heavy burden on the controller's hardware resources (such as processor and memory) and communication channels, which can easily form a system bottleneck and affect the system's response speed and real-time performance.

[0006] (2) Wide range of impact from sub-controller failures: Although the sub-controller is an execution unit, its failure can also cause problems for the system. Once a sub-controller fails due to hardware damage or communication interruption, the main controller will be unable to control the dust suppression point corresponding to that sub-controller. This means that the dust suppression function in that area is completely ineffective, forming a "blind spot" for monitoring and control, until the fault is manually investigated and repaired.

[0007] (3) Severe Single Point of Failure Risk: The most prominent problem with this system architecture is its vulnerability. The wireless master controller is the "brain" and "nerve center" of the entire system, and all system functions depend on its normal operation. Once the master controller fails due to any reason such as hardware aging, software crash, power failure, or external environmental interference, it will be unable to issue any control commands. This will directly cause all wireless sub-controllers to lose control, thereby paralyzing the entire dust source tracking and spray dust suppression system. This "one-size-fits-all" single point of failure (SPOF) risk is unacceptable in industrial environments that require high reliability and continuous operation.

[0008] (4) Lack of fault tolerance mechanism: The root cause of the above-mentioned single point of failure risk lies in the complete lack of fault tolerance mechanism in the system design. Traditional system architectures do not have backup or redundant master control units, nor do they have distributed emergency coordination schemes. When the master controller, a critical node, fails, the system cannot automatically switch to the backup scheme, nor can it perform functional degradation operation, and can only completely crash, causing serious safety hazards and potential economic losses.

[0009] In summary, existing wireless dust source tracking systems have significant shortcomings in terms of system architecture reliability, stability, and scalability. A new technical solution is urgently needed to overcome the risk of single point of failure and improve the system's fault tolerance and overall robustness. Summary of the Invention

[0010] In view of this, the purpose of this invention is to provide a wireless dust source tracking system and hierarchical control method for coal mining faces, and to solve the following technical problems: (1) the problem of concentrated fault risk in traditional wireless dust source tracking system control methods. The fault risk of traditional wireless dust source tracking systems is concentrated on a single main control device and sub-control devices. Once the main control device and each sub-control device fail, it will affect the interruption of coal mining face production; (2) the problem of difficulty in troubleshooting traditional wireless dust source tracking systems. All sub-control devices are controlled by a single main control device, and faults in each sub-control device cannot be detected in time; (3) the problem of high communication pressure of the main controller and long delay time of control command issuance in traditional wireless dust source tracking systems.

[0011] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides the following technical solution:

[0012] Option 1:

[0013] A wireless dust source tracking system for coal mining faces introduces multiple secondary master control devices into the traditional wireless dust source tracking system for coal mining faces, constructing a hierarchical control system of "primary master control - secondary master control - sub-control". The primary master controller does not directly participate in the control of the sub-controllers, but controls the sub-controllers through the secondary master controller.

[0014] The system includes one primary main controller, at least one secondary main controller, and at least one sub-controller; the sub-controller is connected to and controls the ball valve.

[0015] The primary controller is deployed at the head or tail of the coal face and is responsible for communicating with the ground, monitoring the overall system status, and scheduling and managing at least one secondary controller. It also has the functions of setting system parameters and modifying the parameters of the secondary controllers, dynamically allocating the range of sub-controllers managed by each secondary controller, summarizing fault logs, and coordinating cross-regional redundancy.

[0016] The secondary master controller is deployed on the hydraulic support of the coal mining face and is responsible for managing at least one sub-controller. Specifically, it receives instructions from the primary master controller and sends control instructions to one or more sub-controllers within its management scope based on the instructions. It also has the functions of modifying sub-controller parameters and reporting sub-controller maintenance.

[0017] The sub-controller is installed on the scraper conveyor chute or hydraulic support four-link of the coal mining face. It is responsible for receiving control commands from its corresponding secondary main controller and controlling the opening or closing state of the ball valve based on the commands.

[0018] Furthermore, the primary master controller and the secondary master controller communicate wirelessly via LoRa and transmit data to the ground via a network cable; the secondary master controller and the sub-controller communicate wirelessly via WiFi 6; and the sub-controller controls the opening and closing of a ball valve via wired communication.

[0019] Option 2: A hierarchical control method for a wireless dust source tracking system for coal mining faces, specifically including the following steps:

[0020] S1: The primary controller sends scheduling or control commands to the designated secondary controller;

[0021] S2: The designated secondary master controller receives and parses the instructions from the primary master controller;

[0022] S3: The designated secondary master controller sends an execution instruction to one or more sub-controllers under its management based on the instruction.

[0023] S4: One or more sub-controllers receive the execution command and control their respective connected ball valves to perform opening or closing actions.

[0024] Furthermore, the method also includes fault handling steps:

[0025] The primary controller monitors and identifies faulty secondary controllers;

[0026] The primary controller selects one or more adjacent, normally operating secondary controllers as the take-over devices.

[0027] The primary controller sends instructions to the takeover device to establish a communication connection with the sub-controllers within the original management scope of the faulty secondary controller and acquire control of them.

[0028] Furthermore, the method also includes a fault handling step: when the primary controller fails or loses connection, the secondary controller continues to operate independently according to preset logic or the last valid instruction received, maintaining the spray dust suppression function of the area it manages.

[0029] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows:

[0030] (1) This technical solution reduces the risk of system failure: By introducing a hierarchical control architecture with a secondary master controller, the risk of traditional centralized control is distributed to multiple nodes. When the primary or secondary master controller fails, the system can maintain operation through a redundant control mechanism, avoiding production interruption at the coal mining face due to a single point of failure.

[0031] (2) This technical solution improves the efficiency of fault diagnosis: the secondary master controller, as an intermediate layer, can monitor the status of the sub-control equipment in real time and report fault information, which solves the problem that the faults of the sub-control equipment in the traditional system are difficult to detect quickly, and significantly improves the system maintenance efficiency.

[0032] (3) This technical solution optimizes the system communication performance: LoRa long-distance communication is used between the primary main controller and the secondary main controller, and WiFi6 high-speed communication is used between the secondary main controller and the sub-controller. This not only reduces the communication pressure of the main controller, but also reduces the delay of control commands and improves the system response speed.

[0033] In summary, this technical solution, through hierarchical control and redundancy mechanisms, achieves high reliability, easy maintenance, and efficient communication, providing key technical support for intelligent dust suppression in coal mining faces.

[0034] Other advantages, objectives, and features of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following examination, or may be learned from practice of the invention. The objectives and other advantages of the invention can be realized and obtained through the following description. Attached Figure Description

[0035] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the present invention clearer, the preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0036] Figure 1This is a structural diagram of the wireless dust source tracking system for coal mining faces provided in Example 1;

[0037] Figure 2 Here is a flowchart of the primary controller's workflow;

[0038] Figure 3 This is a flowchart of the secondary master controller's workflow. Detailed Implementation

[0039] The following specific examples illustrate the implementation of the present invention. Those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of the present invention from the content disclosed in this specification. The present invention can also be implemented or applied through other different specific embodiments, and various details in this specification can be modified or changed based on different viewpoints and applications without departing from the spirit of the present invention. It should be noted that the illustrations provided in the following embodiments are only schematic representations of the basic concept of the present invention. Unless otherwise specified, the following embodiments and features can be combined with each other.

[0040] The accompanying drawings are for illustrative purposes only and are schematic diagrams, not actual pictures. They should not be construed as limiting the invention. To better illustrate the embodiments of the invention, some parts in the drawings may be omitted, enlarged, or reduced, and do not represent the actual product dimensions. It is understandable to those skilled in the art that some well-known structures and their descriptions may be omitted in the drawings.

[0041] In the accompanying drawings of the embodiments of the present invention, the same or similar reference numerals correspond to the same or similar components. In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that if terms such as "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "front," and "rear" indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, they are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, the terms used to describe positional relationships in the drawings are only for illustrative purposes and should not be construed as limiting the present invention. For those skilled in the art, the specific meaning of the above terms can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0042] This invention provides a wireless dust source tracking system for coal mining faces. It introduces multiple secondary master control devices into the traditional wireless dust source tracking system for coal mining faces, and constructs a hierarchical control system of "primary master control - secondary master control - sub-control". The primary master controller does not directly participate in the control of the sub-controllers, but controls the sub-controllers through the secondary master controllers.

[0043] Primary main controller: Deployed at the head or tail of the coal mining face, it is responsible for communication with the ground, global monitoring and scheduling of the secondary main controller. It can set parameters and modify the parameters of the secondary main controller. It has the functions of dynamically allocating the management scope of the secondary main controller, summarizing fault logs and coordinating cross-regional redundancy. It communicates with the secondary main controller wirelessly via LoRa and transmits data with the ground via network cable.

[0044] Secondary master controller: Deployed on the hydraulic support of the coal mining face, it can manage multiple sub-controllers. Its functions include receiving commands from the primary master controller, controlling the sub-controllers to open ball valves for dust suppression spraying, modifying sub-controller parameters, and reporting sub-controller maintenance requests. It communicates wirelessly with the sub-controllers via WiFi 6.

[0045] Sub-controller: Installed on the scraper conveyor chute sidewall or hydraulic support four-link in the coal mining face, it is connected to only one ball valve via cable. Its function is to execute wireless commands from the secondary main controller, control the opening and closing status of the ball valve, and provide feedback on whether the ball valve is working properly.

[0046] Example 1:

[0047] Please see Figure 1 In this embodiment, the primary master controller directly controls 10 secondary master controllers, which communicate wirelessly via LoRa, enabling long-distance communication. One secondary master controller directly controls 10 sub-controllers, which communicate wirelessly via WiFi 6, offering high-speed communication. One sub-controller controls only the opening and closing of one ball valve, using wired communication for better stability.

[0048] As an intermediate layer, the secondary master controller can alleviate the communication burden on the primary master controller, while reducing the direct coupling between the primary master controller and the sub-controllers, thus lowering the risk of single-point failures. For example, if the primary master controller fails, each secondary master controller can temporarily take over the control of the system to maintain normal operation. If a secondary master controller fails, the primary master controller can redistribute control of the adjacent secondary master controllers to the sub-controllers in the faulty area. Faults in ball valves and sub-controllers can be detected promptly by the corresponding secondary master controllers.

[0049] Example 2:

[0050] Please see Figure 2 This embodiment provides a workflow for a primary controller with fault self-healing and fault tolerance capabilities. The entire process can be divided into three main stages: initialization, cyclic monitoring, and fault handling.

[0051] The detailed steps are broken down as follows:

[0052] (1) Initialization: The system starts and executes the initialization program.

[0053] (2) Initial parameter acquisition and setting: The system first acquires the preset parameter values ​​of the secondary master controller, and then sets the parameters of the secondary master controller for the first time through LoRa wireless communication.

[0054] Entering the main loop monitoring phase:

[0055] (3) Parameter acquisition in a loop: The system enters a continuous loop. The first step is to acquire the preset parameter values ​​of the secondary master controller again for subsequent comparison.

[0056] (4) Determine parameter changes:

[0057] The system determines whether the currently acquired parameters have changed from the previously set parameters. If the parameters have changed, the system will send instructions to the secondary master controller again via LoRa communication to modify its parameters to ensure consistency; then proceed to the next step (judging master controller failure). If the parameters have not changed, the system skips the modification step and returns directly to step (3) to start a new round of parameter acquisition and monitoring.

[0058] (5) Diagnosing secondary main controller faults:

[0059] The system checks the status of the secondary master controller to determine if it has malfunctioned (e.g., offline, unresponsive). If a malfunction is detected, the system initiates the fault handling process (see below). If the master controller is normal, the system returns to step (3) and begins a new round of parameter acquisition and monitoring.

[0060] Troubleshooting phase:

[0061] (6) Reporting main controller maintenance: When a secondary main controller failure is detected, the system first reports the information of the failed main controller, triggering the maintenance or alarm process.

[0062] (7) Perform fault switching (takeover): The system uses LoRa communication to modify the parameters of one or more "adjacent" normal secondary master controllers, instructing them to take over all "sub-controllers" in the area originally managed by the faulty master controller.

[0063] (8) Determine if a sub-controller has reported a maintenance request: After the takeover is completed, the system will further determine if any "secondary sub-controllers" have reported a maintenance request. If a sub-controller reports maintenance, the system will also report the information of that sub-controller, triggering the corresponding maintenance process. After completion, the entire process returns to step (3) and continues the main loop monitoring. If no sub-controller reports maintenance, the process directly returns to step (3) and continues the main loop monitoring.

[0064] This process, through continuous parameter comparison and status monitoring, achieves automatic synchronization of parameter changes, automatic detection, reporting and seamless switching of main controller faults, as well as uploading of maintenance requests for lower-level sub-controllers, thereby ensuring that the system can continue to operate stably even when some nodes fail.

[0065] Example 3:

[0066] Please see Figure 3 This embodiment provides a specific workflow for a secondary master controller to modify parameters and maintain and manage lower-level devices (sub-controllers) after receiving instructions from a primary master controller.

[0067] The detailed steps are broken down as follows:

[0068] (1) Initialization: The system or device starts up and executes the initialization program.

[0069] (2) Initial parameter settings: The system first performs an initial parameter modification or configuration on the managed sub-controllers via WiFi 6 wireless communication.

[0070] Entering the main loop monitoring phase:

[0071] (3) Waiting for instructions from the primary controller: The system enters a loop waiting state, continuously checking whether it has received a parameter modification instruction from the primary controller. If no instruction is received, it remains at this step, continuously checking. If the primary controller issues an instruction to modify the current parameters, it proceeds to the next step and begins executing the modification process.

[0072] (4) Determine if secondary master controller parameters need to be modified: The system first determines whether the current instruction contains parameter modifications for itself (i.e., the secondary master controller). If modification is required, the "Modify secondary master controller parameters" operation is executed, and then the process proceeds to the next step. If no modification is required, this step is skipped, and the process proceeds directly to the next step.

[0073] (5) Determine if sub-controller parameters need to be modified: Next, the system determines whether the current instruction contains parameter modifications for its subordinate sub-controllers. If modification is required, the system sends an instruction to the corresponding sub-controller via WiFi 6 communication to "modify sub-controller parameters"; after completion, proceed to the next step. If no modification is required, skip this step and proceed directly to the next step.

[0074] (6) Determine if a sub-controller is faulty: After the parameter modification process (or skipping the process) is completed, the system checks the status of the sub-controller to determine if it is faulty. If a sub-controller fault is detected, the system executes the "report maintenance of the corresponding sub-controller" operation to report the fault information. Subsequently, the process returns to step (3) and continues to wait for new instructions from the primary controller. If the sub-controller is working normally, the system directly returns to step (3) and continues to wait for new instructions from the primary controller.

[0075] This process clearly demonstrates the role of the secondary master controller as an intermediate management layer: it passively receives instructions from the superior and accurately updates its own or lower-level device parameters according to the instructions, while also undertaking the responsibility of monitoring the status of lower-level devices and reporting faults.

[0076] In summary, the wireless dust source tracking system and hierarchical control method for coal mining faces of the present invention effectively reduce the system paralysis caused by main controller failure. The hierarchical control method is also more conducive to coal mine production management and has a significant effect on the development of intelligent dust reduction in coal mining faces.

[0077] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention and are not intended to limit it. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications or equivalent substitutions can be made to the technical solutions of the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention, and all such modifications or substitutions should be covered within the scope of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A wireless dust source tracking system for coal mining faces, characterized in that, include: One primary main controller, at least one secondary main controller, and at least one sub-controller; the sub-controller is connected to and controls the ball valve; The primary master controller is responsible for communicating with the ground, monitoring the overall system status, and scheduling and managing at least one secondary master controller. The secondary master controller is responsible for managing at least one sub-controller. Specifically, it receives instructions from the primary master controller and sends control instructions to one or more sub-controllers within its management scope based on the instructions. The sub-controller is responsible for receiving control commands from its corresponding secondary master controller and controlling the opening or closing state of the ball valve based on the commands.

2. The wireless dust source tracking system for coal mining faces according to claim 1, characterized in that, The primary controller is deployed at the head or tail of the coal mining face.

3. The wireless dust source tracking system for coal mining faces according to claim 1, characterized in that, The secondary main controller is deployed on the hydraulic support of the coal mining face.

4. The wireless dust source tracking system for coal mining faces according to claim 1, characterized in that, The sub-controller is installed on the scraper conveyor chute sidewall or hydraulic support four-link of the coal mining face.

5. The wireless dust source tracking system for coal mining faces according to claim 1, characterized in that, The primary controller has the functions of setting system parameters and modifying parameters of the secondary controller, dynamically allocating the range of sub-controllers managed by each secondary controller, summarizing fault logs, and coordinating cross-regional redundancy.

6. The wireless dust source tracking system for coal mining faces according to claim 1, characterized in that, The secondary master controller has the functions of modifying the sub-controller parameters and reporting sub-controller maintenance.

7. The wireless dust source tracking system for coal mining faces according to claim 1, characterized in that, The primary and secondary main controllers communicate wirelessly via LoRa communication, and transmit data to the ground via a network cable. The secondary master controller and the sub-controller communicate wirelessly via WiFi 6. The controller controls the opening and closing of a ball valve via wired communication.

8. The wireless dust source tracking system for coal mining faces according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that, The hierarchical control method of this system specifically includes the following steps: S1: The primary controller sends scheduling or control commands to the designated secondary controller; S2: The designated secondary master controller receives and parses the instructions from the primary master controller; S3: The designated secondary master controller sends an execution instruction to one or more sub-controllers under its management based on the instruction. S4: One or more sub-controllers receive the execution command and control their respective connected ball valves to perform opening or closing actions.

9. The wireless dust source tracking system for coal mining faces according to claim 8, characterized in that, The hierarchical control method of this system also includes fault handling steps: The primary controller monitors and identifies faulty secondary controllers; The primary controller selects one or more adjacent, normally operating secondary controllers as the take-over devices. The primary controller sends instructions to the takeover device to establish a communication connection with the sub-controllers within the original management scope of the faulty secondary controller and acquire control of them.

10. The wireless dust source tracking system for coal mining faces according to claim 8, characterized in that, The hierarchical control method of the system also includes a fault handling step: when the primary controller fails or loses connection, the secondary controller continues to operate independently according to preset logic or the last valid instruction received, maintaining the spray dust suppression function of the area it manages.

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